Shadows Of A Dark Past
by ShadowYami
Summary: Ch1up. Basically, something odd is going on...who is this girl hunting down all the gang with connections to Ancient Egypt, and why? And what does she want with them?And who or what is the Supreme Shadow Dragon? (Not a Mary-Sue, will be yaoi later)
1. A Stranger With Mysterious Intentions

-SY- Okay, now this one I've really had buried for ages. I started writing this waaaaaay back when I was Gohanz-gal, and it was actually this fic that got me to change my name to ShadowYami. The original ShadowYami was actually one of the characters in this story, but I decided I liked her so much I stole her name.^^ Hehe.Im a dirty name thief!  
  
-Alloran- *pouts* Oi, how come Nebhtari gets to be in this and I don't?  
  
-SY- Because, my dear Ally-kun, I didn't have you when I started this. My only muses were Nebhtari and Ezmaritia.  
  
-Alloran- Oh, fine. *huff*  
  
-SY- Anyway, are you all shocked? Three things uploaded in one week! Im being shockingly productive! Fingers crossed I stay on my roll..* crosses fingers* Well, here it is, please RnR, and please be gentle!  
  
Shadows Of A Dark Past  
  
(Prologue)  
  
Imagine a place...  
  
A place further than anyone could ever travel, and yet no further away than the thickness of a shadow.  
  
A place always felt, never seen by all but a special few, and never known publicly, yet all are aware of it deep in the innermost recesses of their souls.  
  
A place where many impossible things happen- the birthing of dream- creatures, made real, the spawning of nightmare monsters, given shape.  
  
A realm inhabited by the dark and mysterious creatures who dwell always within the darkness.  
  
The Shadow Realm.  
  
Within the night always upon this hidden realm dwells a spirit...a spirit of tremendous power. This ethereal spirit keeps an Ancient Egyptian temple as her domain, the self-same temple she was irrevocably bound to guard so many, many centuries ago. It is known as the Millenium Temple. Within it were kept the seven other Millenium Items- the Rod, the Ring, the Necklace, the Scales, the Key, the Eye and the Puzzle- until their rightful and destined owners came to claim them. Thus, the spirit from the Realm Of Shadow was dispatched as their eternal Guardian, to guard over the Items until their time came. Only when all seven had found their owners would the spirit be allowed to go free, but would forever have her fate entwined with the Temple. Should the Temple ever be destroyed, the spirit would be forced to stay in the Shadow Realm for all eternity, with never a chance to wander the other realms. Yet as long as even a stone from the Temple remained, the spirit would keep her tremendous power and her responsibility to the Items.  
  
Freed from her bondage once the seven Items had returned to their destined owners, the spirit remained a guarding presence, watching over the Items from her realm in the darkness, remaining a shadow. In time, these spirits became known as 'Yamis' and so did the unknown spirit of the Shadow Realm.  
  
The Shadow Yami.  
  
A shadow of a shadow, a shade of the darkness. Her every good quality tainted with the Shadow she ruled, her every evil balanced by the Light of her former self.  
  
A most singular creature.  
  
Singular...and more alone than anything in the universe.  
  
''It has begun.'' a voice spoke, the owner, shrouded in shadows, kneeling on the rough stone before an ancient altar. The altar was indented with the shapes of seven objects, and stained, the speaker noticed uncomfortably, with the rusty hue of old, dried blood. ''Excellent.'' This voice, velvety and soft like fine smoke, came from behind the other, causing the first figure to start in surprise and wheel around hurriedly. ''Mistress, you startled me...'' breathed the first figure, the dim torch-filled light illuminating their form, revealing them to be female, if not entirely human... Sleek ebony fur gleamed in the torchlight, the glow of the flickering flames casting a coppery sheen to the raven form. The same flame-light glinted and danced on the gold ornaments adorning the slim and and shapely form- a golden asp wrapped around her upper left arm, the gold ring in her right ear, the armlets about her wrists, the fine gold band about the base of her gently penduluming tail, and the golden makeup around her eyes. While she stood on two legs, like a human woman, and had clawed fingers rather than animal paws, the anthropomorphic figure had lost none of the deadly beauty of the wild animal she was.  
  
A jackal, to be precise.  
  
The other speaker also materialised from her point in the shadows, stepping into the flickering light. This one was also female, shapely, slender, and with a bronzed glow to her skin. Her hair was raven, as black as the darkest night....on the right side. Split evenly down the center, her hair was divided into two shades. The right was a shining jet, while the left was a most unusual dark violet-indigo. Overall, the girl- for she seemed no older than about eighteen- was considerably pretty, but her beauty was that of a sculpture carved in marble ;cold, lacking any warmth, with no visible trace of compassion. But even this ethereal, icy beauty was usurped by her eyes. Never one colour for more than a few minutes, various hues passed over the irises like chameleonic smoke ; first sky-blue, then rippling to a bright forest-green, then spiralling to a deep violet, then shifting to a soft brown, then all of them whirling together.  
  
This figure, this cold female, was the Shadow Yami.  
  
''Forgive me for startling you, Nebhtari.'' she spoke, her voice cool and expressionless. Nebhtari bowed formally, her white shift contrasting with the black of her fur, given bronze hints by the firelight. ''It was my fault for not looking, Mistress.'' ''It is of no consequence. Events are in motion?'' ''Like an ox pursued by wild dogs.'' Nebhtari grinned, her sharp ivory fangs gleaming wickedly. ''Then it is time we departed.'' the Shadow Yami's outline seemed to ripple, replacing the simple creamy smock she wore with a long dress of the same colour, floating and elegant but still modest. She kept her golden jewelry where she wore it. Followed closely by her jackaless companion, she took a step forward....  
  
And stood in a silent alleyway within a crowded, modern- day city. ''We really should not do that in this age, Mistress.'' Nebhtari spoke up apologetically. The Shadow Yami glanced behind. ''Why not?'' ''Because common-day mortals find it rather frightening and strange when two figures come out of a solid wall.'' ''Oh, very well.'' the Shadow Yami sighed. Stepping out of the alley, she gazed around her with interest, Nebtari a close step behind. When she entered into the realm they were now occupying, Nebhtari's shape had also changed. Now she resembled nothing more than an unusually graceful, sleek dog- a dog with a definate jackal-like look, but apparently mortals never bothered to notice such things, or if they did, they didn't pass comment. As the Shadow Yami looked up, she saw a store right beside her, the brightly-coloured sign flashing in the sun. The sign declared the shop to be called the ''Turtle Game Shop''.  
  
The Shadow Yami smiled slowly, and moved inside.  
  
At the sound of the door-chimes, the young boy behind the counter quickly swung his legs off from where he had beem using it as a leg-rest and stood up, looking a little sheepish. ''May I help you?'' he asked politely, his wide violet eyes bright wih a friendly light. The Shadow Yami looked at him in incredulous amazement. {The resemblance really is remarkable...} she thought privately. ''Yes, as a matter of fact you could.'' she replied. ''I am looking for a person named...Yugi Mutou?''  
  
''That's me.'' he said, eyeing her carefully. ''Why are you looking for me?'' She half-smiled. ''Merely because I hear you have the best card collections in town in this store.''  
  
''Thats for sure!'' Yugi said proudly. ''My Grandpa and I run the best game shop in town! Were you looking for anything in particular, miss...err...''  
  
{ Name, name...} ''Yamira Alitari.''  
  
''Well, Miss Alitari, was your search for a specific card?'' Yugi asked, his eyes brightening. He always loved talking about his favourite pastime.  
  
''Not really...just a few card to add to my collection. And please, call me Yamira.''  
  
''Okay, Yamira, what kind of card are you looking for? Is your deck themed...Spellcaster, Fairy, Beast, Machine...''  
  
''Egyptian.''  
  
''Wow!'' Yugi was impressed. ''Egyptian-based cards are pretty rare.''  
  
''So I've heard.''  
  
''Yugi?'' this voice was a new one, deep and masculine, deeper than Yugi but the wrong pitch and timbre to be the old man. The tall figure which stepped through the door was an almost miror image of Yugi, except his hair had more spiky blond streaks, he was taller, and his manner was more assertive. More regal. He regarded Yugi fondly, before glancing at Yamira. His eyes widened in shock...he had seen this female before...but where? Why did he feel like he knew her? '' You...who are you?'' he demanded. Yugi shot him a reproving look. ''Yami!'' Yami subsided somewhat, though he still continued to stare at Yamira suspiciously. Yamira gave a light, musical laugh. ''My name is Yamira Alitari...Yami, was it?'' her eyes gleamed with a sudden dark cunning. ''Odd, I would have pictured one with such a noble bearing to have a more noble name...your manner suggests something more suited to a prince, or a king...or maybe a pharoah.''  
  
Yami stiffened, and he glared at Yamira with deep suspicion, before he averted his gaze and muttering something quietly to Yugi, he went back upstairs. Yamira chuckled in wry amusement. ''Is he always that...tempestuous?'' ''He's not normally that rude. I can't think whats come over him.'' Yugi replied, glancing back the way Yami went. ''Perhaps our business could be conducted at a better time...would tomorrow morning be alright?'' ''Yeah, sure...'' Yugi said, still looking puzzled by Yami's uncharacteristic behaviour. ''Then I will depart until tomorrow. Goodbye, Yugi, and give my regards to Yami, would you?'' ''Okay...''  
  
Outside the store, Yamira laughed to herself quietly. ''I thought I would have more difficulty with him than that...but that was far easier than I thought.'' she said, her eyes glinting. Beside her, the canine form of Nebhtari looked up at her, her own ice-blue eyes filled with silent amusement. Yamira chuckled a final time. ''Until tomorrow, Yami and Yugi...'' She stepped back into the alley from where she had earlier emerged, and momentarily re-emerged outside a hotel. Making arrangements for a room was easily done, and barely minutes later she stood inside her luxurious suite with an odd smile curving her lips. ''One found, two more to go.'' Beside her, Nebhtari grinned a wicked canine grin. Yamira glanced at her. ''Now, it will not be long before the events come together...very like the Puzzle itself. You say the other two are also here, in this city?''  
  
//Yes, Mistress.//  
  
''Good. Once I find the others, the rest will take care of itself, and I will not need to do much more. What are their names?''  
  
//The tomb-robber of the Ring currently has a similar form, like Yami and Yugi, to a boy named Ryou Bakura.//  
  
''Good. And White Lightning...how appropriate.'' she commented.  
  
//The other bears the resemblance of a male named Malik Ishtar.//  
  
''Excellent.'' a lazy grin spread across Yamira's face. ''Yugi, Ryou, and Malik. I can hardly wait for our 'reunion'. ''  
  
//You are sure they will concede?//  
  
''Everyone does, sooner or later.''  
  
//Then we will find them tomorrow?// Nebhtari looked eager.  
  
''Tomorrow.''  
  
Tomorrow their worlds would be turned upside down.  
  
And not one of them would ever be quite the same again....  
  
-SY- So how was it? Feedback craved, so just follow Alloran and Nebhtari's pointing and hit that little button which says 'Submit Review'..and I apologise for the crappy formatting! I don't know how to format stuff properly yet! FORGIVE ME!!!  
  
-Alloran- *cheerfully pokes 'Submit Review' button*  
  
-Nebhtari- *sighs and points* 


	2. Living Ghosts Of The Past

Shadows Of A Dark Past  
  
DISCLAIMER: I forgot to put this in the last chapter. ^^; Bad SY! *smacks wrist* Okay, here it goes. I don't own YuGiOh. I do own Yamira and Nebhtari. But aside from those two, I own nothing. If I did own YuGiOh, it'd be a whole lot different....  
  
-Alloran- And probably not for young children.  
  
-Nebhtari- Quiet, you mangy moggy.  
  
-Alloran- *indigant* OI!  
  
-SY- Oh brother...anyway, on with the fic!  
  
**************************************************************************** ***********  
  
"Yami!"  
  
No answer. Yugi folded his arms and glared at the door, tapping his foot impatiently.  
  
"Yami, open the door."  
  
"Its not locked." came a muffled voice from the other side. Yugi frowned, and gave the door a push, just to make sure his Dark was telling the truth, and true to Yami's word, the door swung slightly squeakily inward. Yugi stepped through, carefully picking his way over numerous items on the floor- an old unused set of dumbells, a discarded shirt, a pair of sneakers. Yugi cautiously manoevred around a tangle of clothing which could only be Yami's, considering the amount of studs visible, and confronted the stubbornly silent figure of Yami who was sat, crosslegged like a stoic Indian brave, on the black bedspread. Yugi sat on the end, and regarded Yami unblinkingly.  
  
"Why were you acting so rudely when that girl came in? That miss...miss..." Yugi hesitated.  
  
"Alitari." Yami stated, shifting position and swinging his legs over the sideof the bed so as to be next to his hikari. "Her name was- is- Yamira Alitari."  
  
"Whatever her name was, you sure were impolite to her down in the game store." Yugi folded his arms and glared at Yami. Yami sighed.  
  
"Its a long story, aibou."  
  
"Do I look like I'm going anywhere?"  
  
"...."  
  
"Then go on."  
  
"Alright..."  
  
Yugi sat and listened attentively as Yami began his tale.  
  
"Back in the days before I was Pharoah, when I was still just a child, there was a friend of my mothers named Kharish Alitari. She was a...a pretty woman, so far as I remember, dark-haired and dark-eyed like most of the other womenfolk around the palace. But I'm getting ahead of myself." Yami folded his arms and stared up towards the ceiling, concentrating. "Before I was born, about a year before, Lady Kharish went missing. She was a priestess of the goddess Isis; served in the temples in company with the mages. She was last seen at the night of the Sun Ceremony talking with Heishin. After that, she was not seen again. No one voiced their thoughts out loud, they did not dare, but the rumour and whisperes flew around the palace and the city- was the Lady Kharish dead by Heishins doing?"  
  
"Well, was she?" Yugi asked, wide-eyed.  
  
"Patience, Yugi! No, she was not dead. The courtswomen eventually ceased discussing it, moved on to fresher items of gossip. Everyone forgot about her disappearance and got on with their lives. After all, there were new things to talk about- the other ranking Priestess, Akhana, was with child, as was the Queen."  
  
"Your mother, with you."  
  
"Yes. My mother gave birth to me at around the same time as Lady Akhana gave birth to her son, or so the healers told me later." Yami smiled tightly. "Typical that I was born in company with my rival, isn't it?"  
  
"Ak...Akhana," Yugi stumbled over the unfamiliar speech. "Akhana was Seto's mother?!"  
  
"Yes, Lady Akhana was the mother of the later-to-be High Priest Seto. And with our arrivals and initial adorability-" he glared as he was interrupted by Yugi's snort of laughter.  
  
"Sorry, sorry, its just I can't picture you as a baby....or Kaiba for that matter. Go on, please." he added, noticing his Yami's hurt and affronted look. Yami huffed slightly, but continued.  
  
"Anyway, around three months after Seto and I were born, the whole kingdom was suddenly in an uproar. Lady Kharish had returned, bringing with her a two-month old girl child. Lady Kharish was dazed, confused...she didn't seem to have any conscious memory of the year in which she had been gone. But more so than Lady Kahrish's return, the child she brought was the subject of speculation. Whose was she? Some said what is she? She certainly was odd. Her hair was normal enough, a pretty shade of raven black, and her skin was as dusky as her mothers. But her eyes-" Yami paused, shuddering. "Her eyes were so strange...they weren't one colour, not even mismatched. They were unsettling, changing colours like whirling smoke, and they looked so...you have heard of a child looking like he or she has the eyes of someone older than they?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"Well, her eyes weren't even old like that. They weren't the old of an aged person, weren't even like a re-incarnated oldness. Im talking old old. " Yami paused again, staring off into near space. "Old like the stars."  
  
"Thats....kinda creepy...."  
  
"Yes, it was. The child was raised in the palace by her mother, but even though we shared the same roof, we rarely saw each other. She was always infallibly courteous to me, and in turn I bore civility to her, even though she always made me feel, well, nervous. But when I was sixteen, and I was being introduced to the harem girls, I came across her again. But she had changed, oh how she had changed, and I don't mean how she had changed with time. Her hair, once such a shining raven all over, had split into two hues. The right was still a glossy jet-black, but the left had become a strikingly rich violet. And she wasn't the friendly, playful girl I remembered. She had become quieter, colder, and when her gaze met mine it no longer held any of the playful challenge I remembered, only a flickering glacial fire. Not long after that day Heishin began his assault on the Palace, the day when I was sealed within the Puzzle. I assumed that the other court members were killed, lost, destroyed by Heishins attack..." he trailed off into silence, his gaze distant, as though he were watching that fateful day all over again.  
  
"I see...." Yugi said softly. His quiet tone broke Yami from his thoughts, and he gazed at Yugi abstractly.  
  
"So you can imagine it was quite a shock when I saw her in the shop today." Yugi could only nod silently. Now he understood, it was clear why the sight of Miss Alitari had unnerved Yami so much. He'd looked like he had seen a ghost. And maybe he had.  
  
~Meanwhile, in a different part of Domino City~  
  
"RYOU!" bellowed a strident voice, somewhere within the living room.  
  
"Coming!" came the quick reply. Hurriedly, Ryou gathered up bowl, syrup, and popcorn and trotted into the living room. It looked like a bomb had hit, but one hadn't, just Bakura. He set the bowl of popcorn on the glass coffee table in front of his dark half obediently.  
  
"Took you long enough." grumbled his tomb-robbing counterpart. Swiping up the popcorn he fell to wolfing it down with such speed Ryou half-though he would choke. But...no such luck. Shaking his head, the snowy-haired teen ambled back into the kitchen and set about making his own lunch- Caesar salad and turkey sandwiches. Unlike his yami, Ryou preferred healthy food to the junk which Bakura seemed to live on. He hummed a plaintive melody as he washed the salad, almost dropping it as a loud ring at the doorbell made him jump.  
  
"RY-"  
  
"Already on it." Quickly wiping his hand on a teatowel, Ryou darted to the door. He was rather taken aback when he opened it to be greeted by a young woman with two-toned hair and chamleonic eyes.  
  
"Good morning. I am looking for Bakura."  
  
"I'll just go...I'l just go get him.." Ryou backed away from this unusual woman and scurried into the living room. As he vanished, Yamira stared after him with narrowed eyes.  
  
{Again, he is almost identical to his counterpart....a slight softening of the features, a more compassionate manner, but still...."}  
  
"Errr....Bakura?" Ryou interrupted nervously.  
  
"What?" Bakura growled, tearing his gaze from the horror movie he was watching and fixing it on Ryou.  
  
Ryou swallowed. "Theres a...a young girl at the door asking for you."  
  
"Huh?" Bakura blinked in puzzlement. "Who the hell..." He got up and strode past Ryou, into the hall and to the door. His eyes widened as he saw- and recognised- the figure before him. "YOU!"  
  
"Nice to see you again, Kubaar."  
  
"Don't call me that. And what the hell do you want?" Bakura snarled.  
  
"Now, is that any way to greet an old friend?" Yamira raised an eyebrow teasingly, a sardonic curve to her lips.  
  
"You're no friend of mine."  
  
"Im hurt."  
  
"Good. Now tell me why the hell you're looking for me, before I lose my patience."  
  
"I wasn't aware you knew what patience was. You do know its almost the Shadow Time, don't you?"  
  
His cold chocolate gaze narrowed. "Of course."  
  
"Then you know what must be done."  
  
"Yes." his voice dripped exasperation.  
  
"Good. I will return the day after tomorrow. Farewell, Kubaar....ah, sorry. Bakura." With a flourish and a bow, Yamira turned on her heel and stepped regally down the street until she turned the corner and was lost from view.  
  
Bakura glared after her until he could see her no more, then he stormed inside the house, slamming the door behind him, and threw himself down onto the sofa. Ryou peered cautiously around the kitchen doorway, seemingly stunned by the sudden appearance of the strange girl and how she had managed to rile his yami up so quickly. He cleared his throat hesitantly, flinching instinctively as Bakura turned a stare as cold as liquid nitogen on him.  
  
"Who was she?" Bakura growled low in his throat, a visceral, savage sound he often made when roused, and turned his eyes back to his movie. "You wanna know who she was?"  
  
Ryou nodded.  
  
"Trouble."  
  
As she stepped around the corner, Yamira flicked her gaze to the mouth of the alleyway beside her, where the silent shape of a large black canine was waiting.  
  
//It was him?//  
  
"Undoubtedly." Yamira sighed. "He is unchanged."  
  
//Will that be a problem?//  
  
"Perhaps. But not a large one." Yamira turned and swiftly stepped into the alley, beside Nebhtari. "Come. We shall go and find the others. I have just reliazed that we may well need more of the Pharoahs...aquaintances...than I thought."  
  
//The High Priest.// Nebhtari's mental voice coloured with understanding.  
  
"And the Pharoahs friends. Yami does not trust me. But he may trust them, if I can persuade them to believe me."  
  
//Stranger things have happened.//  
  
"Myself included."  
  
//Indeed, Mistress.//  
  
"Let us go." Yamira took a brief stride forward, meiting into the aged brickwork of the grimy wall like the shadows whose paths they traveled. Nebhtari took a lingering look around her, to ensure no-one had seen, and trotted after, both leaving no trace they had ever been there.  
  
**************************************************************************** ***********  
  
-SY- Okay, so how was it? And also I wanna know- would you guys prefer short chapters like this with shorter time between updates, or longer gaps between updates and longer chapters? Its your call! And if anyone can tell whats special about Bakura and the name Kubaar, I'll give you a cookie and a full set of YGO BishiePlushies!  
  
-Alloran- *waves BishiePlush plushies*  
  
-SY- So feedback appreciated, constructive criticism always useful, and flames....well, if you really feel you must. 


End file.
